This invention relates to a new composition, articles comprised of the composition and methods of manufacture. More particularly, this invention relates to an elastomer-polytetrafluoroethylene composition, its method of manufacture, and articles manufactured with such a composition having remarkably increased durability in their applications.
It has long been a desire to combine the properties of an elastomer, such as rubber, and polytetrafluoroethylene, referred to frequently as PTFE. Past efforts to manufacture compositions with beneficial combined properties have not been wholly successful. In addition, the past attempts to incorporate PTFE into rubber, for example, have been generally limited to attempts and compositions containing no more than 20 percent by weight of PTFE. Such compositions have failed to provide a sufficient combined benefit from the properties of PTFE and elastomers to have great commercial importance. Higher percentages of PTFE could not be obtained because of the inability to uniformly mix the PTFE particulate matter with the elastomer composition. It is believed the difficulty of obtaining uniform mixtures and higher percentages of PTFE were the result of PTFE's unique properties, and probably the properties of its surface which resist wetting. Because of these properties, uniform mixing and bonding of PTFE particulate material and natural and synthetic rubbers have not been achieved in compositions with any commercially significant incorporation of PTFE.